Significant impact on competitive image of Italian ports on central European markets

13 days after the terrible Pioltello incident, operations in the intermodal terminal in Melzo are at standstill, with no trains entering or exiting the terminal – the situation is now bringing negative consequences to one of the largest intermodal hubs in Northern Italy.

It is with deep and full respect for the victims of the terrible incident, and with profound awareness of the difficulties faced by commuters, that we urge all involved parties to fully commit in restoring the line capacity as soon as possible. It is necessary to avoid any further financial damage to all private companies and players that have invested time and valuable resources to support intermodal and rail transport, promoting competitiveness of Italian ports and logistics, on European markets.

We are aware that, beyond the positive approach of M.I.T (Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti) and of Minister Delrio, the strategic value of rail freight transport in Italy is still greatly undervalued. This applies not only to the rail infrastructure itself – the minor environmental impact of rail transport and the greater competitiveness it brings to cargo transported to central European regions – are often unconsidered aspects. This is proven by the fact that 13 days after the incident, the railway connectivity for freight trains is still, almost completely, cut.

The Contship Italia Group, with its long-term commitment to develop intermodal transport in Italy – and with the due regard to those involved in investigating the cause of the incident – cannot hide the negative image that the Italian rail logistics system is suffering from, on those markets where Italian ports compete with Northern European ports.